Josh McCown is out with a left shoulder injury for Sunday's game at Miami and will be re-evaluated week to week moving forward, Browns head coach Hue Jackson said Monday.
McCown, who made his first start of 2016 in a 25-20 loss to the Ravens on Sunday, briefly left the game to receive treatment in the locker room before returning to action. He did not miss a snap.
"He's one of the toughest human beings I've seen play in some time," Jackson said.
"Josh is extremely tough, passionate. He's been doing this for a lot of years … I think to a man, everybody's a little disappointed that we didn't protect him better to give him a chance to stay out there. But he has the complete trust and respect of the locker room because of what he does. He'll fight to the bitter end."
Without McCown and Robert Griffin III, who was placed on injured reserve last week with a broken bone in his shoulder, Jackson said "there's a good chance" rookie quarterback Cody Kessler will start against the Dolphins this weekend.
Jackson said the Browns, however, will continue to explore all options at the position. "I think we'll do everything we can to help the position first and foremost. Obviously Cody's got to be the guy but we've got to keep searching around and making sure we cross every T and dot every I and see if there's somebody else out there that can help our football team.
With Kessler currently the only healthy quarterback on the active roster, Jackson added that elevating rookie and former Stanford standout Kevin Hogan from the practice squad is a possibility.
The news comes as Jackson announced that center Cameron Erving (pulmonary contusion) and defensive end Carl Nassib (hand) also won't play at Miami this weekend. Like McCown, they'll be examined on a week-to-week basis.
"I like to go through the week and practice and really start a game plan we haven't even gotten to the game plan part of that yet," Jackson said. "I know this much we'll do anything and everything we can on offense to field a unit that can play."
McCown, who was set to fill in for Griffin, completed 20-of-33 passes for 260 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions against Baltimore.
Jackson, who declined to offer excuses following Sunday's loss in which the Browns gave up 25 unanswered points and watched a last-minute drive fall short, said the club will continue to move forward.
"This is pro football and these things happen — maybe not to this degree any place I've been — but I've been toughened before and I've been in the abyss before and we're not getting dragged under," Jackson said. "We're going to keep fighting."
